Honors Program

About the Honors Program

The Honors Program is designed to challenge gifted students to reach their academic potential through a specially designed course of study. Courses in the program challenge students to aspire to greater heights in their academic progress, while enriching their major field of study. The foundational course is an interdisciplinary course in the history of ideas, examining major historical, philosophical, and artistic movements from a biblical perspective. Elective seminars on special topics are offered for upper classmen, such as Biblical Canon, the Apologetics of C.S. Lewis, Bioethics, and more.

By graduation, as an Honors Program student you will have arrived at a point where you can evaluate the world around you, both consciously and unconsciously, through the lens of a worldview that is rooted deeply in Scripture.

Honors Program Highlights

Selective — Admission into the program for entering freshman is based upon ACT/SAT scores, extracurricular and work experience, and a sample of expository work. A limited number of students are admitted into the program each year.

Transforming — You will experience the practical application of faith and learning that will transform your mind and encourage a consistent and vibrant Christian walk.

Community — The Honors Program provides a “community within a community” at Cedarville University, which allows for additional support of and appreciation for the unique talents and abilities students of this caliber bring to the institution. The freshman year is a cohort experience.

Diverse learning — Your Honors seminars will introduce you to diverse topics from some of Cedarville's top professors. Recent seminars included such broad topics as C.S. Lewis; Biblical Canon; Music and Nationalism; and Chance, Emergence, or Design?

Faculty interaction — The integrative nature of the program offers an exceptional opportunity for you to interact with talented professors in small-class, seminar settings where you are encouraged to engage, discuss, and ask questions in order to enhance your learning experience.

What Can I do With Honors?

Honors students are prepared to be thought leaders in their fields and workplaces. We have had students go on to top 5 graduate programs in historical theology, philosophy, psychology, and engineering. Our students enter these environments firmly grounded in biblical worldview and prepared to defend and explain the Gospel in these challenging academic contexts.

Opportunities to Learn Outside the Classroom

Tau Delta Kappa — Tau Delta Kappa, the Honors student organization, seeks to provide educational, social, and service opportunities to Honors students. TDK is a distinctive aspect of the Honors community at Cedarville University. The organization provides a mentoring program that matches upperclassmen in the Honors Program with freshmen just coming into the program.

Honors lounge — As an Honor student, you will have special key-card access to a lounge in the Center for Biblical and Theological Studies (BTS), which serves as the meeting room for honors seminars and a study hall just for honors students. It’s a great place to grow and learn as you interact with like-minded students.

Honors Program Curriculum

Your Honors Program coursework will have three main components:

Making of the Modern Mind Freshman Year Experience – This two semester, 10-credit hour course integrates the study of history, humanities, philosophy, and theology in a seamless, team-taught course. MoMM, as it is affectionately known, counts for 9 credit hours of required general education course work (so it does not add to our overall course load or time to graduate). MoMM is a team-taught, interdisciplinary, cohort course. Professors utilize a seminar methodology, encouraging discussion and reflection on primary texts. The course is designed to provide the ideal learning environment for Honors students.

Honors Seminars – After the freshman year, you will take two sections of Honors Seminar, normally one seminar during each of the sophomore and junior years. These seminars allow for focused study in an area of interest. These courses are designed to tap into the scholarly expertise of Cedarville’s top professors. Recent seminars included such broad topics as C.S. Lewis; Biblical Canon; Music and Nationalism; and Chance, Emergence, or Design?

Capstone Experience – You will conclude your Honors Program by completing one of two capstone experiences.

Writing a traditional Honors thesis, working one-on-one with an Honors thesis supervisor on a topic of your choice.

Taking a two-course Colloquium that focuses on integrating faith and learning. In this weekly seminar, you will discuss key literature about integrating biblical principle into your lives, your learning, and your profession.